Welcome! I am so glad you found me!
I began my meditation journey in 2015 out of desperation to thrive instead of survive. I felt as though I had lost my voice. Whose life was I even living? I was stuck on the “do more, be better” treadmill. Yet I never achieved or changed enough to feel content or satisfied. I was experiencing severe burnout, although I did not realize it then. I just knew I longed for relief from chronic (& toxic) stress and perfectionism, and to live with joy and peace. Honestly, my life felt like it was unraveling and I was fed up with feeling stuck in this longing that I tried meditation. It was a desperate attempt to help myself. This eventually led me to the path of heartfulness, the integration of compassion and mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness + Compassion = Heartfulness
I embarked on an inner healing/growth journey that has beautifully shifted and challenged the way in which I engage with life. It takes daily courage to live with intention, to show up in relational presence, and to unlearn limiting beliefs. This journey of navigating the vicissitudes of life with equanimity is ongoing. Some days I feel like I figured it out. Then other days I wonder if I have made any progress. Ah, to be human! To be reminded that there is refuge to be found in not knowing, in curiosity. And so through my years of training, I have seen an increase in clarity and skillfulness in how I relate to experience. I experience life in a much deeper and receptive way, and this keeps me on this continual journey of wakefulness.
In an effort to share these heartfulness practices, I have become a trained mindfulness meditation and compassion teacher, and a trained mentor supporting others along their heartfulness journey – to awaken and ease the mind, open and tenderize the heart, to trust in one’s innate worthiness and wisdom, and to hold space for everyone’s humanness.
Please find more about my story and training here.
Our lives are interconnected, so our inner work is always in service of the collective. We do not walk alone. This is the reason this site is called Growing Our Voice rather than “your voice.” It is my hope that we relinquish the belief in our separation and find the courage to connect with a compassionate heart. This is how we ALL thrive. Click here to read about the Guiding Principles: courage, compassion, connection & curiosity.
Enjoy looking around and please reach out if I can be of heartful service!
~ Wendy Heckert, Ed.D, CMT-P